Ah, nothing holds more creative possibilities than an empty cardboard box. Come on, that’s not really a box. Sure, it is a shipping parcel, but it can be so much more. It’s a fort, a rocket ship, an artistic outlet, a musical instrument, there is so much more beyond those cardboard boxes sitting in your mudroom, that paper towel roll, that tissue box! Before you toss it in your recycling bin, try re-purposing it! Children will love imagining all the possibilities of what to create with the versatile compound!
#1 – Rocket Ship
Junior space cadets are sure to love this adorably re-purposed cardboard box! If you have a few boxes, one of large size, and one of a slightly smaller size, have the kids work on decorating the smaller one (the top of the ship), and you can cut an opening for the little ones to crawl inside!
Source: Babble
#2 – Cardboard Roll Stamps
It’s a craft to create another craft! These adorable cardboard heart stamps are easily made from an empty toilet-paper roll. These are manipulated into a heart shape, but they can be quickly manipulated into other shapes, too!
Source: Tinker Lab
#3 – Royal Recreation
This is a fun activity if you happen to have a large box lying around the house, if not you could always try your local grocery store. Create a royal fortress for your prince and princesses! With some ribbon and scissors, you’ll be creating a fancy fortress of your own in no time flat!
Source: Cornerstone Confessions
#4 – Beautiful Boats
Who knew that boats could be made from cardboard? This sweet fleet will keep the kids entertained for hours, and the boats are the perfect size for all of your little one’s action figures and other small figures! The pretend play potential with this activity is really great!
Source: IKatBag
#5 – Magnificent Masks
The kids will want to create a bunch of masks, so make sure that you have plenty of cardboard! This activity is wonderful for an indoor activity when it’s raining outside. Let their imaginations run wild as they decorate their masks!
Source: IKatBag
#6 – Rockin’ Robots
Build a tiny little robot army! The great thing with this project is that the robots can be any size you or your little one’s want them to be, depending on the size of the boxes you have! You can even build a giant one!
Source: Flickr
#7 – Ring Toss
This fun project involves re-using all of those toilet-paper tubes as pegs for ring-toss! A frugal way for the kids to have fun! You could even add a few extra paper-towel rolls (they’re taller) for a bit of a challenge in the game!
Source: Teach Me Mommy
#8 – Cardboard Animals
Got an extra broom handle lying around? Create a pretend-play horse or dinosaur for your little ones to play with! Decorate and embellish as your little one wants, and you’ve got a fun toy that’ll last for a long time!
Source: Curbly
#9 – It Takes A Village
While this craft may take a bit more time and effort, the end result is well worth the assembly required! The kids will love having their own little neighborhood to play with! If they get bored with one house, they can just go to another!
Source: Curbly
#10 – Special Delivery
A special delivery for your little ones! Kids can put their correspondences into the large mailbox for the mailman (read: mommy and daddy) to pick up. Then they can receive letters back from the postman! A fun and engaging pretend-play activity.
Source: IKatBag